#Zoya Rasputin

[infamousfailure]

“Well, if I die, at least I’m not as ugly as my dad or trapped in the underground.”

[undercover-grisha]

So once upon a time I read an Anastasia AU Wesper fic, where Wylan was the lost prince and Jesper the conman trying to trick him but ends up falling in love. it was a rly great fic, unfortunately unfinished, but genuinely one of the best fics I’d ever read omg

anyways so that premise is great, yeah? But imagine:

Zoyalai in an Anastasia AU

Zoya the street smart conwoman, convinces Nikolai he’s the lost Ravkan prince, and ends up tripping over her feelings and falling for him

Alina (and Tolya and Tamar and maybe Genya, they’re pack animals) as Vlad and Mal as Sophie

THE DARKLING AS RASPUTIN

[lunima]

☾ MOON CALL ⇢ @ghafha​

HER  GAZE  IS  WISTFUL  AS  THE  GREY  SEA,  fixated  on  a  point  further  than  the  horizon.   a  night  black  stain  that  only  she  seems  able  to  perceive  slunk  ever  nearer,   reaching  with  knife-sharp  hands.   the  moon  blinks  hard  before  that  unknown  fear  can  engulf  her,  turning  to  greet  the  approaching  Wraith  with  a  warm  smile.   ‘ I trust your journey was safe? ’   fingers  smooth  the  veil  that  concealed  star-bright  hair  from  view  as  the  winds  pick  up   ‘  your discretion is much appreciated.  ’

[m0chaminx]

Who I Write For

ﾟ°☆Any names with a * means I am willing to write smut for

ﾟ°☆ I will not write rap3, any non consensual scenarios

ﾟ°☆ I will not write any self harm or abusive things in practice, even if its completely fiction

*•.¸♡Mortal Kombat

Tomas Vrbada / Smoke *

Kuai Liang / Scorpian *

Bi-Han / Sub-Zero *

Syzoth / Reptile *

Raiden *

Kung Lao *

Liu Kang *

Johnny Cage *

Kenshi Takahashi *

Mileena *

Kitana *

Sindel *

*•.¸♡Hunger Games

Coriolauns Snow *

Lucy Gray Baird

Sejanus Plinth

Peeta Mellark

*•.¸♡Shadow And Bone TV series

Jesper Fahey *

Kaz Brekker *

Inej Ghafa

Nina Zenik *

Matthias Helvar *

Wyaln Hendricks *

Zoya Nazyalensky

Genya Safin

David Kostyk

Tamar Kir-Bataar *

Nikolai Lantsov/Sturmhond *

*•.¸♡Marvel

Druig *

Makkari

Kingo *

Peter Parker (Tom, Andrew and Insomniac) *

Miles Morales (Insomniac) *

Harry Osborn (Insomniac)

Wanda Maximoff *

Pietro Maximoff *

Monica Rambeau *

Carol Danvers

Gamora *

Shuri *

Okoye

Nakia *

M'bku *

Kate Bishop

Edie Brock/Venom *

Marc Spector/Steven Grant *

Layla El-Faouly

*•.¸♡X-Men

Erik Lensherr *

Charles Xavier *

Peter Maximoff *

Alex Summers *

Scott Summers *

Raven Darkholme *

Sean Cassidy *

Angel

Hank McCoy *

Darwin

Logan Howlett *

Jean Grey *

Jubilee

Ororo Munroe *

Warren Worthington *

Illyana Rasputin *

Kurt Wagner

Remy LeBeau *

Wade Wilson *

Yukio

Ellie Phimister

*•.¸♡Stranger Things

Eleven Hopper

Mike Wheeler

Lucas Sinclair *

Max Mayfield

Dustin Henderson

Steve Harrington *

Robin Buckley *

Nancy Wheeler *

Jonathan Byers *

Eddie Munson *

Chrissy Cunningham

Argyle

*•.¸♡Devil May Cry

Virgil *

Dante *

V *

Nero *

Lady *

Trish *

Nico *

Kyrie *

Credo *

REBOOT Dante *

REBOOT Virgil *

REBOOT Kat *

*•.¸♡DCEU and Titans

Dick Grayson *

Kory Anders *

Donna Troy *

Dawn Granger *

Hank Hall

Gar Logan *

Jason Todd *

Rachel Roth

Rose Wilson *

Conner

Tim Drake

Harley Quinn *

*•.¸♡Umbrella Academy

Luther Hargreeves

Diego Hargreeves *

Klaus Hargreeves *

Five Hargreeves

Sparrow Ben/Ben Hargreeves

Viktor Hargreeves

Lila Pitts *

Solone Hargreeves

ﾟ°☆Page navigation

[qqueenofhades]

I may write this into a proper fic later, but since it’s been floating around in my brain for a while, here’s what everyone in Phantomverse is up to as of 2021, three years after the end of the story:

Matthias and Nina: Currently living on a houseboat in the Caribbean. (They spent some time in New Zealand, Argentina, and South Africa beforehand.) They had just gotten to the Caribbean when COVID hit, so they ended up staying, bought an old boat and fixed it up, and are living their best digital nomad lives. Nina works as a contractor for a private cybersecurity firm and teaches social activists how to hide their data from Big Brother. Matthias has remote-work jobs for Norwegian firms. They are semi-sort-of planning to move back to Norway permanently and finally apply for Nina’s settlement visa when the borders reopen, but they’re also not in a hurry to leave where they are. They have talked once or twice about whether they want to start trying for children, but that’s still a way in the future.

Kaz and Inej: Actually kind of really together, and not even if you squint. It’s been three careful years, but they’re working on it and doing better in lots of ways. Inej has finally been home to London to see her parents, though they’ve also had to deal with quarantine hassle and closed borders. Kaz still works as a hacker, but the Crows are trying (slowly) to get out of the crime business, at least sometimes. They’re always down for taking out assholes. They still mostly live in Amsterdam, but they’ve bought a new house in the Dutch countryside that they’re working on fixing up together.

Jesper and Wylan: Got engaged just before everything went to hell in 2020 and have been desperately trying to arrange a wedding in the Age of COVID ever since. It’s turned into a running joke, since every time they get something booked, it gets canceled, a new restriction comes up, or they realize that their friends will not be able to get into the country to attend. Travel circumstances permitting, they currently split their time between Ireland and Amsterdam. Jesper is still close to Kaz and Inej, though he’s vainly attempting to “go straight -- no, not that kind of straight” in preparation for his life as a married man. It remains debatable how well this is actually working.

Ivan and Fedyor: Have in fact gotten a cat, whose name is Rasputin. They adopted him from a Brooklyn animal shelter and yes, it was Fedyor’s idea, and yes, Ivan complained the whole time, then immediately fell in love. They’ve had a bit of a rough time; Ivan, as an essential worker, got COVID in March 2020 and was knocked on his ass by it. It took him several months to recover and it’s been generally stressful. They’re also disappointed that Fedyor’s parents had FINALLY just agreed to come out from Russia and visit them in Brighton Beach when the plague hit, so that is once again indefinitely delayed. Ivan, once he got better, quit his job with the repair company and started his own home renovation business, which is becoming unexpectedly a hot ticket among Williamsburg hipsters. He hates this deeply, but there you have it. [NAME REDACTED] looks forward to performing again when the clubs reopen.

Nikolai and Zoya: Got married in a lavish destination-wedding bash in Bali in 2019, which was the last big international trip everyone got to have before you-know-what. Zoya then got offered a prestigious job in Los Angeles, but Nikolai didn’t want to leave his job in Manhattan, so they spend most of their weeks on opposite coasts and get together on the weekends. However, for obvious reasons, this isn’t going to work out long-term, so they’re having intent discussions about whether they’re both going to move to California or what. Nikolai still holds that if Nina and Zoya ever run off together, he is more than willing to comfort Matthias. If you know what he means.

Poppy: Still living their best and most fabulous life, though they left the red-light district in Amsterdam and went to school with the money they had saved. They semi-dated Matthias’ friend Christian for a few months, then separated amiably. They now live in London, are pursuing a master’s degree in social work at King’s College, and work for a trans/queer mental health charity. They spend a lot of time annihilating J.K. Rowling and Piers Morgan on Twitter.

Aleksander: Idk, probably still brooding somewhere in the GRU about how he’s never going to get Alina back. I’d like to think he’s made a few better life choices, but this is Aleksander we are talking about. My hopes are not high.

[infamousfailure]

Zoya nodded softly and then furrowed her brows a bit, “definitely a problem. Do you not know how to walk or something?” She asked when he stumbled before thinking and gasping. “Oh! I did not tell you my name. I am Zoya. Zoya Rasputin. We are looking for someone who is supposedly related to me. Who are you?” She asked as she checked her watch since she wanted to be back home by a specific time.

infamousfailure​:

Zoya grinned and nodded softly. Perfect. She recruited help that would be expendable. No attachments, no care, nothing. It would be the perfect way to find who she was looking for and then call it all when it’s finished. She looked around before looking at Will and gently resting her hand on his back. “Perfect. Let us go. I do not have much to go off of. But I need to find her as soon as possible.”

She pushed Will a bit, not realizing her own strength as she started to walk and think deeply on where her sister may be. In the end, perhaps she would actually help him find who he was looking for. Unless he continued to push her buttons, but then again she’ll probably get used to him. Nonetheless, this was no concern now. “Here is the problem. I do not know her name. I do not know where she is. And all I can go off of is my fathers word that she is out there somewhere.”

Originally posted by sinfultragedy

Will stumbles slightly when she pushes him, nearly tripping completely, but catching himself and scrambling with her.

“I, that, yeah, uh, I um, I can uh, I can see where-- uh, um,” he clears his throat, “Where that, that might uh, that is-- where that might become a problem.”

[black-rose-writings]

Reading Siege and Storm because I hate myself

To begin, I’d like to state that this is my first read-through and I only have vague idea of the plot I’ve gathered from fanfics and tumblr posts.

Long post ahead

Chapter 1

So... at first I was like - huh, this isn’t as bad as I thought, but the moment Alina gets introspective, it all goes to hell.

Like, she’s being physically made sick by not using her powers, which is making her feel useless - like, she says, pretty much verbatim: “The only thing I was ever good at was being a Sun Summoner and I’m not that anymore.”

I’m gonna beat those paragraphs over the head of anyone, who says Alina got a good ending.

I’ve also noticed just how often the like “I pushed that thought away” is used and more often than not, it’s used on thoughts that should probably not be pushed away.

Ah, yes, here he comes, my boy Darkles, being the dramatic bitch he always is. We get it, you’re the hot villain, tempting the good and pure heroine away from being good and pure.

And I’m just now realizing how many times in this chapter has Alina lamented their lack of privacy. We have to ensure the reader doesn’t hink she’s *gasp* sleeping with Mal.

Chapter 2

What?

Alina is tripping balls while being put under by a Heartrender, got it.

Darkling is being the voice of reason, but I’m getting the distinct feeling it won’t last.

Ivan gets one point, because Alina is in fact a traitor, but he’s also being a cunt, so it doesn’t really count.

Alina at Sturmhond: Do you even care about Ravka?

Me at Alina: Do you?

Chapter 3

“Mermaids are not real”. I’m pretty sure they are in the Grishaverse.

My boy Darkles is still making sense, but Alina is dedicated to being against him just for the hell of it, it seems.

Did this bitch just throw a tantrum, because he told her, what we can assume is the truth? Okay. Like, I get that she’s at best 18, but still. Not exactly the type of protagonist whose head I like being in.

And in that moment, dozens of smut fics were born.

Chapter 4

Wow, that was quick.

Aaand. What had just happened?

Chapter 5

Sturmhond is a funny bitch, I’ll give him that.

And this entire conversation, it seems like Mal’s entire purpose is to stand behind Alina threateningly and repeat what she said, lol.

I’d like to remind Alina (and LB) that a king in an absolutist monarchy (which is what Ravka appears to be) is very much a tyrant. Don’t make it sound like Ravka didn’t have a tyrant before. And at the very least, my boy Darkles seems pretty competent.

A man calling himself a Storm Dog likes dogs. No shit.

Chapter 6

I hate Mal. Dude, this is your girlfriend, maybe like... listen to her? Don’t bludgeon her with the one other guy she was kinda-sorta with, when you are a well known manwhore?

I don’t know man, I don’t like him.

Everyone: You can’t have more than one amplifier, it’s dangerous.

Alina: Haha, sparkles go brrrr

Chapter 7

In other news, pirates are funny.

Holy shit, they have a plane.

That was... a lot. And we’re crossing the Fold again, yay.

Chapter 8

You feel bad for the Volcra but not for the people you’ve left for dead in the Fold last time? Okay.

Baby Volcra. Am I supposed to say “ew” or “aww”? If I tried doing both at the same time, it would probably sound like one.

Jesus fucking Christ this book is a ride.

Did Alina really just have an “oh no, he’s hot?” moment? *sighs*

Puppy boy has a title longer than Daenerys, jesus.

Alina, my dear, you could have waited for a bit before doing that. There’s like thirty soldier with guns around you and you’ve just punched a prince.

Then again, you’ve never been smart, have you?

Chapter 9

For once, I completely agree with him. I know you two have lost your one shared braincell on that first crossing of the Fold but still, that was very dumb of you, Alina.

I’m starting to get why people were calling Nikolai “Darkling light”. Definitelly seems appropriate.

Mal, calm the fuck down, that was the least romantic proposal I’ve ever heard and you know it.

You two didn’t even let Alina get a word in for the last page. What right do you have to her, Mal, huh? Nikolai is making sense and you’re being an idiot.

What’s your deal Mal? What the fuck do you want?

And why in the hell are you the endgame love interest?

That’s an awful lot of guilt-tripping you’re doing there, Mal. No need to be pissy about it.

Chapter 10

The bones thing is definitelly yikes.

Saints, Mal, are you on your period or something? Alina doesn’t belong to you. Alina can make her own choices. Get a grip.

“You think I’m like the Darkling?” Yes. The Darkling isn’t all bad. You’re at war. No need to get your panties in a twist over a few fingers.

Oh, look, Alina has a cult now, nice.

Chapter 11

Your “dad” is a rapist, Nikolai. Quite possibly a pedo. He got exactly what he deserved.

I’d go for the second option. Especially after that stunt. Jesus, you could have asked her beforehand.

At least Darkles had the decency to make out with her in private.

Also like... why is every single person in this series so far an asshole?

Chapter 12

We meet the King again, unfortunately.

Alina gets Darkles’s old job.

This should be a total disaster, but let’s see where it goes anyway.

Chapter 13

Alina’s nuts, yay.

(I know they have a Force-bond-thingy. I also know they did it before Reylo did.)

Chapter 14

Oh boy, Alina’s not doing as bad as I thought.

For the 100th time in this book, I wish I had Nikolai’s confidence. Though it is getting a bit too much.

Puppy boy is dropping some truth bombs. Nice.

But he doesn’t realize that my boy Darkles has very good reasons to not align with Fjerdans - a) they think he’s a demon and b) they want Grisha dead.

I’m not gonna say she was, but like... the monarchy is very much corrupt.

Oh, boy, Baghra. This one’s gonna go well.

Yep, Baghra’s as pleasant as ever.

So... Baghra’s plan in book 1 really had been to just have Alina run away and hope for the best? Jesus Christ, lady. I’m not saying she deserved to have her eyes taken away, but she is definitelly a trash person and I’m not surprised her son turned out the way he did.

Also, I’m fairly certain that Baghra is literally slowly killing herself - that the reason she looks so old and frail is because she’s started to supress her power and it’s literally killing her, because, you know, she’s bonkers old.

Chapter 15

Nerd Alina > Self-pitying Alina

Also, I’m just saying, Alina comments on Zoya being attractive a whole lot - I get that she’s meant to be insecure, but I’m interpreting it as her being gay, because I need some happiness in my life, okay?

Just kill the sleazy old Rasputin-wanna-be. There’s plenty of them to go around in this series.

Chapter 16

Vasily takes after his father in creep factor.

Why not the Darkling being courted by a horny prince? Be a bit creative.

Chapter 17

Nikolai has big ADHD energy and I love him for it. Fits right in with the heavily autism-coded Fabricators.

*sighs at heteronormativity again*

*sighs at improper gendering of titles*

Date night with Mal. This is gonna be a disaster, isn’t it?

Chapter 18

Fun night of cultural appropriation, yay.

I hate cultists.

LET. ALINA. GO. FERAL. Please.

You two are going to give me a headache, I swear.

Darkles cockblocking Alina. And Malice threw a tantrum. Nice.

Chapter 19

You’re way too harsh on Genya, Alina.

Horny Alina rights.

They have a laser, now. Cool. Or, well, enormously hot.

Mal is being a drunk a-hole. Great. When does he become likable? Does he ever?

Banter between Mal and Alina? Kinda weird, always somehow comes back to either of them being insecure.

Banter between Alina and Nikolai? I’m all for it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a Darklina trash, but like... Nikolai is fun. I could see him and Alina having an arranged political marriage and ending up falling in love years into it, that’s all I’m saying.

Chapter 20

Just let this one go, Alina, please. You two are not working out. Please, end it with him. You’ll both probably be happier. (I’m saying this with the full knowledge that Malina is endgame).

Jesus Alina, get your shit together. You have every right to be mad, because you two didn’t actually break up, you didn’t kiss Nikolai and also, I don’t like Mal.

Sooo... when is Alina going to realize her manchild of a boyfriend is an amplifier?

Chapter 21

Alina has the horny sickness, lol.

Jesus Christ, girl, I don’t want to read your vaguely suicidal thoughts.

Mal, you fucking idiot.

Alina, stop defending Mal.

Chapter 22

Alina has a logical thought? Impossible.

Finally, some action.

Chapter 23

Oh, boi, this is going great.

Oh, boi, Alina’s having another martyr moment.

And, we’re done.

Finally.

That was a ride. Nothing really happens for like ten chapters and then everything happens in one and a half.

[kirsbataar]

i am Thinking About malina anastasia au . . . 🤔

alina as anya and mal as dmitri, nikolai as vlad and zoya as sophie / lily, darkling as rasputin / gleb . . .

[iambecomeyourvillain]

Pls lmaooo these just reminds me of different ppl

i- 🤡

1} ship in a bottle by steffen argus (I LOVE- MY BELOVED AND ALSO NIKOLAI VIBES I-)

2} silhouettes by of monsters and men (my beloved )

3} King and lionheart by of monsters and men (pls how I cry always when I listen to dis and zoYalai-)

4} paradise by Coldplay (I'm cri bye )

5} SOS by avicii (kanej I see 👀)

6} scrawny by wallows (THIS)

7} soldier, poet, King by the oh hellos (once I start listening to dis, I can't stop for some reason lmaoo)

8} my love will never die by Claire Wyndham ( THIS RIGHT AND HELNIKKKKK)

9} lullaby of woe by ashley serena (this this this this this)

10} my jolly sailor bold (my ultimate song to sing in the shower like 1000000/10)

11} once upon a December by smth callaway, I don't remember lmao (THIS SONG IS MY CHILDHOOD, I HAVE IT MEMORISED ALSO LILE THE MOVIE OF IT, ANASTASIA 1991 YES YES )

12} red by beth crowley (zoYa nazyalensKY I feEl)

13} battle cry by beth crowley ( this just reminds me of myself if that's possible 🥲🥲🥲)

14} next to me by imagine dragons (😭)

15} rasputin by boney M. (I'm sorry but the background music is too funny I can't-)

16} trenches by beth crowley (yeS)

17} I'm not nothing by beth crowley

18} nobody else but you by beth crowley

19} both, healing incantation and hurt incantation from tangled

20} lavender's blue, dilly dilly by I forgot 💀 (I lOVe)

21} waiting for love by avicii (pls the original video is not good for your health-)

22} how be a heartbreaker by marina and the diamonds (yeS)

23} counting stars by OneRepublic

24} wellerman by nathan evans

25} sweet dreams by eurythmics (pls this should be the new Rick roll it has vibes 💀💀💀)

26} oh no! By marina and the diamonds

27} kingdom fall by Claire Wyndham (YESSS)

28} dear August by PJ Harding and noah cyrus (mY mY )

29} glory and gore by lorde (MY LOVE MY FAVVVVVV)

30} Cleopatra by the lumineers (I just-)

And yeah ig that's it lmaoooo

screen shots all of them for my safe music stash

I'm gonna listen to them all just you wait

[sailor-hufflepuff]

“sailor-hufflepuff Could you elaborate even more? I don't remember that much of Russian history, and it's always more interesting to read what other people learnt, than opening wiki.”

I mean, Russian history is sooooo not my area of expertise, but I’ll share what I know.

I don’t think it’s a one to one copy, of course. It’s more like how the Apparat has vague Rasputin vibes (creepy religious figure with an uncomfortable amount of political power) or Tatiana is a Marie Antoinette figure (mistrusted foreign princess who spends too much money and doesn’t care about her people). It’s vibes more than facts.

That being said, the “mythos” of Peter the Great very much feels like what LB was trying to accomplish with Nikolai. First and foremost, he was absolutely FASCINATED by the oceans and ship building, spending years in the navy and moving the capitol to a brand new city on the coast (Saint Petersburg). He’s famous for the modernization of Russia, both technically and legally, instituting sweeping reforms that built schools for common folk, turned part of the military and civil service into a meritocracy, and fought wars that brought Russia into the “Western World”. Handsome, intelligent, and devoted to his country, his reputation is massive.

Of course, how much of that is true is debated by historians and I won’t go into it. Like I said, we’re going for vibes, not facts.

For that matter, Zoya could be inspired by Catherine the Great, another foreign (Grisha/Suli) queen who took the throne from her husband and then proceeded to win all her wars and lead Russia into its Golden Age., ruling with an absolute power and a revolving bedroom door that made her infamous throughout Europe.

Personally, I think a more realistic analogy (though certainly not a deliberate one on LB’s part) is Nikolai with Tsar Nicholas II, who was a genuinely nice guy who loved his country, but was absolutely out of touch with reality, terrible at knowing who to trust, and gave way too much attention and power to his incredibly unpopular foreign wife.

Famously killed - along with his family - by his own people in 1918.

Because let’s face it- as good of a guy as Nikolai seems to be, as brilliant as his inventions are, there is NO WAY that his reign in a real Ravka would end in anything but tragedy, after decades of war and famine and political upheaval.

(Also: cotton. COTTON.)

Broke:Nikolai Lantsov is a good guy.

Woke:Nikolai Lantsov is a Slavic Tyrell(seriously, I read TGT after ASoIaF,and the similarity was glaring. How is he a hero?).

I'd need to re-read ASoIaF, because it's been years, and there's no time. Ugh, I hate adult life for this. Perhaps send elaboration later, nonny.

From what I remember, Tyrells were invisible opportunistic cunts, but mostly thanks to their Granny ex-Redwyne. Or other women in their history. Stewards even as Lords.

Nikolai would be good that way, except he's written too toothless.

I also miss the Slav-ness in Nikolai, but then again, that's generally an issue of Ravkan characters.

[infamousfailure]

Solo Para: A Lie of Eternal Loneliness

Zoya returned home, having a pleasant birthday after being able to spend it with someone she was slowly starting to consider a friend. Artem made her birthday worth the time she was spending on it. He was a good person and a good friend. She entered her home and felt a crinkle beneath her foot. Her attention turned down to her feet, Zoya saw an envelope addressed to her in scratchy handwriting. It read Зоя, her name in Russian. Perhaps Bartok forgot a card he intended to send with her gift?

Crouching down, she examined the envelope and paused. The seal was her father's. Specifically, the one he used to address her. A person would overlook the minor differences as there wasn't much to tell from the pressing of a seal. However, Zoya learned early in life this was how her father directed messages to her. The wax was always smeared, the seal pressed into the paper nearly ripping it, and the detailing blurred on the emblem. All of these pointed towards an infuriated writer with years of aggression behind them. That was the type of writer her father was when addressing her, no matter the circumstance.

"Дерьмовый конец прекрасного дня..." She mumbled softly as she sat in front of the door and looked around briefly. A shitty end to a beautiful day. Using a letter opener (which she preferred as a hairpin), Zoya opened the envelope from her father. Placing the small dagger between her teeth, she took the letter out of the envelope and read it. Starting off, the letter said the insincere happy birthday from her father with an explanation of why she should not celebrate. "A bit late for that, isn't it?" She mumbled with a sarcastic chuckle. Zoya then paused and furrowed her brows. There were two pages to the letter.

Switching the pages and placing the second on top of the first, she read it confused. Following this, the young Rasputin felt an unsavory wave of emotions. The letter opener fell from her lips, nearly stabbing through the letter before hitting the ground. "I have a sister?..." She asked in the quietest whisper the world had heard from this girl. Shock, that was all she could identify for a moment. Then, anger, excitement, and resentment all at once. Why did he not tell her sooner? Why did her father seclude her entire life and force her to believe she was alone unless he was there? This was all part of his sick game, and she was tired of it.

Unsure of whether to be excited about this news or upset, Zoya sat helplessly on the floor, staring at the note. At the very bottom, written in Russian, was a final request from her father.

Fᵢₙd ₕₑᵣ, fᵢₙd ₜₕₑ ₛᵤdₐyₑᵥₛ, ₐₙd cₐᵣᵣy ₒᵤₜ ₘy ₗₑgₐcy. Yₒᵤ ₕₐᵥₑ ₐₗwₐyₛ bₑₑₙ ₜₕₑ ₐₚₚₗₑ ₒf ₘy ₑyₑ; Bₐᵣₜₒₖ wᵢₗₗ ₕₐᵥₑ ₜₕₑ cₒₒᵣdᵢₙₐₜₑₛ ₒf ₕₑᵣ ₗₒcₐₜᵢₒₙ ₛₒₒₙ. ᵢ ₗₒᵥₑ yₒᵤ, Zₒyₐ ᵣₐₛₚᵤₜᵢₙ.

Zoya shook her head slowly, "I am nothing like you, Grigori... I will find my sister, but not for you. До свидания."

[joons]

What are your feelings on each of the Shadow and Bone characters?

For the show versions!

Alina: A smol bean. Sunshine girl. Poor sense of direction.

Mal: A handsome lad hiding his worst impulses. I noted every single time we came up on a piece of dialogue that made me rage in the book, only to find that show!Mal only responded with a pleasant, affirming smile. It isn't real, it's a trick. But he's alright.

Mal's friends were my faaaaaaaves. :'(

Darkling: RA RA RASPUTIN RUSSIA'S GREATEST LOVE MACHINE. every expression, y'all. like the way his face would relax and his ears would move up and down. brilliant stunning never been done before. when he's like "david you don't have to........[sighs] [remembers patience is his biggest virtue, allegedly] [puts on kindergarten teacher voice] yes, david?"

Genya: doooooon't caaaaaaaare

Zoya: don't care even mooooooooore, hideous bangs

Baghra: spent the whole time trying to remember where I've seen the actress. A terrible lass who doesn't want her son to get laid. Very bad timing. Unconvincing with her portents of doom.

Kaz: Looks like his skin is about to crack with strain at any moment. The most excellent fashion, the most excellent long looks at Inej.

Inej: I just love how devout she is! Seeing her cry over Alina just got me, man. I found her kind of boring in SoC, I think because I just was not that interested in her backstory at the Menagerie, but I liked seeing her grow in this and the idea that she CAN stay with Kaz without being afraid of Heleen.

Jesper: Jesper/Milo for life, I love his twirly guns and his smile yes.

Nina: [SOBBING] THE PERFECT GIRRRRRRL

Matthias: [SOBBING] THE PERFECT MAAAAAAAN

Wylan: Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Film :(

[gins-potter]

Shadow and Bone 1x07 First Watch Thoughts

I am very aware this is Leigh’s fave episode so I’m ready for it to be fantastic (I say like the entire thing hasn’t been fantastic so far)

Who tf is Luda?

Oh my god that hair is terrible

Jesus who is this guy? Rasputin?

Godamn Ben Barnes is a great actor though

Like the Darkling is a great villain because his intentions are good so you can understand why he did what he did to a certain point

But what makes him a villain is that he crossed the line

So learning his backstory makes him slightly more sympathetic to me but I’ll never agree with what he does because at some point free will and saving lives start coming second to amassing his own power and safeguarding freedom through force

I feel like laughter is not the correct response to the creation of the Fold.  I’m sorry but seeing it explode out of him just looked like such a ‘whoops’ moment.

Present day Darkling is much hotter ngl

“I guess the bastard misses the barrel”

Honestly this show is giving me a whole new appreciation for the Inej and Jesper friendship

Those are some fuck off antlers

Jesus christ how many concurrent injuries can Mal take?

Oh be still my Kanej heart

Manipulative bastard

David you little fucker - still annoys me that he did this

Eughhhhhhhhh Genya this is where you start to shit me off

It’s all well and good for Genya to want vengeance on the King, except for the fact that she should be holding the Darkling responsible, if not equally so

Also it’s kind of fucked that Alina ended up the victim in her revenge plot

Please the Darkling only appreciates Alina for what she can do for him, he doesn’t care about who she is as a person

I’m sorry but the Darkling, literally centuries old grisha dude, being jealous of Mal, what like 18 year old tracker, will never not be funny to me

Oooof that synchronised move tho, very sexy of Kaz and Jesper

MILO!

Milo to the rescue

Well technically Jesper I guess

Wow the Darkling really be drinking his own kool-aid huh?

Like he really believes the bullshit coming out of his mouth

Whatever man

When does Zoya defect from the Darkling again? I just read the books and already forgot.  Sometime between book 1 and 2?

“NO MOURNERS NO FUNERALS”

[timeandspacelord]

Hmmm okay, so reading while roadtripping is hard and posting about it is doubly so, but while I have a moment and am less than three chapters into Rule of Wolves, here are my thoughts:

The new shadowy expansion thingies are either Aleksander doing his whatever, as Nikolai and Co seem to suspect, or just the foreshadowed repercussions of the ritual in King of Scars

Sankta Zoya, the Stormwitch, my beloved

Jarl Brum go eat a pound of shit

The Apparat: potentially based off of Rasputin? More at 11

Sankt Feliks and Elizaveta created Applebees I'm not wrong

Nikolai, my beloved

Actually: the six most important people in Ravka (Tamar, Tolya, Zoya, Genya, David, Nikolai), my beloved

"This is Ravka. It's always getting worse" 10/10 for above mentioned group being Like That

(Also, Punchline, my beloved. I've known you for a page and a half, but if anything happened to you, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself)

Also just Nikolai's PoV chapters give me life, what an icon, I love him so much

[stromuprisahat]

hi! i've seen the post about how shadow and bone is no rep for slavic/russian culture and was wandering how could it have been better in u're opinion? only if you feel like talking about it tho, no pressure or anything

I'm no expert on Russian culture, so I'll add some more general Slavic stuff:

NAMES- The only Morozova introduced is Baghra. Both Sasha and Ilya's surname should be Morozov. Patronymics would be a sweet bonus: Aleksander Ilyich Morozov, Alina ? Starkova, Evgenia "Genya" ? Safina, Zoya Suhm?ovna? Nazyalenskaya, Nikolai "Kolya" Aleksandrovich Lantsov... Malyen would be bullied SO badly! Мальен-малeнький! He’d be “tiny” as a “so grown up” child, he’d be “tiny” in different way as an adult...

Stereotypes shouldn’t be used merely as set pieces. If you want Grisha play balalaika, make it some side character's hobby. Not a thing you mention once to get some Russian points.

Apparently, you can't get drunk from kvas, and there is champagne in Grishaverse, so why not make vodka soldiers' best friend? Why not make it a widely overlooked problem- the army is poorly supplied, and soldiers' prospects are bleak. If you want Ravkans to be a nation of drunks, give me a reason why are they like that.

Stay consistent. Either there is a Tsar, or a King. You can't have both, OR you can have the same person with more titles, bound to different territories, but it should be established as such (for example: In Austria-Hungary, Hapsburg emperor could either be crowned the king of Bohemia, or he could just rule it as an emperor of the realm Bohemia was a part of...).

More culture, traditions, holidays...

Plenty of topics touched upon and ignored almost immediately. Serfs, child marriage, sexism so deeply rooted a wife is basically a slave, it's weird for a woman to stay unmarried and/or run a business of her own, yet women can serve in the army...

Religion. First it’s just uneducated peasants’ pastime, then it’s a world-changing force without any character doing anything to make it so, or shoulder the responsibility. Is there a God? Who establishes the Saints? What’s the structure of Ravkan church? Its relationship to other religions? Why was Alina a living Saint without moving a finger? Why are we supposed to believe Nina yelling “Sankta Leoni” persuades a whole town of people it’s the Truth™? The whole religious theme is handled very badly, not that there were no interesting ideas. It’s obviously meant to be some form of Orthodox Church with the Apparat as some creepy Pope/Patriarch/Ra-Ra-Rasputin combo, but it doesn’t make much sense...

Pretty, pretty Slavic clothes. Reds and embroidery, lace, flowers, white shirts, studs, high boots, vests, scarfs, aprons, muffs in winter, weapons as a part of an outfit- sabres, kinzhals, daggers, long light axes... hairdos- braids thrown over one's shouldes, made into crown around one's head, ribbons in hair...

Food, not just one stupid fucking fish! Pirozhki baked or fried, borsch, shchi, bazilion versions of dumplings, honey cake, mead, roasted goose or duck, sauces, gulash, lecho, I’m getting into Czech cuisine here- buchty, koláče, kyselo, kuba... Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Like I said, I'm no expert, there's just so much SO wrong, even I notice.

Feel free to add more.

[venomousgirl17]

Random thoughts on Shadow and Bone show

I loved the characters portrayals overall it was so cool to see people like Kaz and Genya and the Darkling feel so perfect

It’s been awhile since I read these books so the other Grisha felt utterly disposable aside from Zoya, it’s probably because of show constraints that they don’t feel fleshed out

Really wanted the Apparat to look like Rasputin from Anastasia

Mal is way more likeable in the show. I remember not giving a crap about him the whole time in the books

Why did they tell us his name 4 episodes in when we had to wait 3 books for the Darkling’s name?

Darkling and Alina is sexy. Sue me

Darkling pulling a Mr. Steal Yo Girl using Mal’s info about Alina’s favorite flower

Why is Alina’s antler collar poking through her skin like that? I always thought in the books it was literally a collar of antlers she wore, not some strange bone fusion. I always thought amplifiers were worn like jewelry.

Nina and Matthis scenes are super fun, I just wished they got to join the gang before the season ended

Might update this with more thoughts later